Category: NFL Football News

The other: Eagles ‘ Carson Wentz , drafted No. 2 two years ago out of North Dakota State.

Darnold : His No. 1 guy because of Darnold’s ability “to beat you from both inside the pocket and outside the pocket.”

Allen : Has the “biggest upside in the draft” but has to improve his accuracy, timing and anticipation.

Rosen : The “most natural thrower in the draft” but compared him to ex-Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford due to questions about his durability.

Mayfield : He said “the film’s good” but questioned whether some teams want Mayfield “being the face of your franchise.”

Jackson : It was mostly positive about Jackson, who Mayock said is the most “spectacular athlete in the draft” and that a team might have to change their schemes and philosophy to fit his skillset.

Still, Mayock sees none of these quarterbacks — even though he’s particularly high on Darnold and Jackson — as the same level of prospect that Luck or Wentz were coming into the NFL .

“When you look at those five kids,” Mayock said, “history tells you we’ll be lucky if we get 2-3 that become franchise quarterbacks.”

“He does everything really well on the baseball field. He can hit. He uses the entire field. His strike zone recognition a I think he’s going to be a guy who walks over time. He’s a really good defender at all three spots and could legitimately play short. That’s the kind of defender he is. Kind of that baseball IQ, baseball clock. He just seems to have all those things Look, we think he has a chance to be a special player, a complete player. But I don’t know that he’s going to wow people, necessarily, with his skill set from a raw power, speed or antying like that a this is a really complete ball player.”

Does he remind you of anybody?

“It’s funny, I was trying to think a little bit last night actually. I don’t know. Hopefully, we’ll have those conversations where we can make those comparisons at some point, but no one jumps out right now.”

Lucic: It was one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of. Especially because 5,000 fans had left, so there was only between 10-12,000 fans left in the stands, but they were so loud. We were playing for the ones that stuck around. But this wasn’t an F-you to the ones that left or anything. I just remember the next morning how the highlights of the game were everywhere and everyone in the city was talking about it. I think that comeback ultimately drove us into the final.

Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer met with Phoenix Suns management and ownership on Monday and Tuesday, exploring the possibility of him becoming the Suns’ next head coach, league sources told ESPN.

Budenholzer met with Suns general manager Ryan McDonough and owner Robert Sarver over the two days, league sources said, after Atlanta granted him permission to meet with Phoenix late last week.

Budenholzer was the NBA’s 2015-16 Coach of the Year after a 60-victory regular season and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hawks reached the playoffs in four of his first five seasons. Atlanta dropped to 24-58 this season, with the organization’s mandate to shed salary, gather draft picks and future assets changing under Schlenk.

Budenholzer spent 17 years as an assistant under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich before his hiring in Atlanta in 2013. He won four NBA titles as a member of the Spurs’ staff.

The change worked like a charm, as the Cavs jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the game’s first four minutes, all via LeBron James, who started 6-for-7 from the field, including a 3-pointer. After the Pacers ended the Cavs’ run on Bojan Bogdanovic’s free throw, James then added another 3-pointer — to account for Cleveland’s first 16 points.

In a lighthearted moment before the game, Lue said he would be ignoring the training staff’s directives on Korver, who also has been dealing with a sore right foot and has been on a minutes restriction.

Kyle Korver said he feels he’s “in a good spot” after dealing with his brother’s death and his own injury over the past month.

Smith was a rare bright spot for Cleveland in the series opener, scoring 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting in 29 minutes. Lue said that the playoff experience of Smith and Tristan Thompson with the Cavs was something he was weighing going into Game 2.

Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly underwent a 12-hour surgery on Wednesday to remove cancer from and to reconstruct portions of his jaw. On Friday, Kelly’s surgeon provided an update on the former Bills quarterback’s progress.

Eduardo Rodriguez (L), 19 percent, Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Rodriguez is set to make his 2018 debut after recovering from knee surgery last August. The setup couldn’t be any better, facing the offensively challenged Rays on one of Tampa Bay’s bullpen games … following a game in which Tampa’s bullpen was taxed. Boston’s relievers, on the other hand, are well rested.

Reynaldo Lopez (R), 16 percent, Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers: Michael Kopech and Lucas Giolito get more attention, but Lopez is just as much a part of Chicago’s future. Last season, Lopez struck out only 30 in 47.2 frames with the White Sox, though he’s off to a good start in that department, whiffing six Blue Jays in six innings in his 2018 debut. The largely right-handed Tigers give Lopez another chance to rack up some punchouts.

While nearly half of all teams are on track to come in within three games of their RPM projection using actual minutes, there are an unusually large number of significant outliers this season. And, unsurprisingly, the list of Coach of the Year candidates mirrors the top of these rankings.

Because of Gordon Hayward’s absence and other injuries, the Boston Celtics’ projection — already too low entering the season — dropped all the way to 38 wins using actual minutes, so the Celtics will have the largest difference in absolute terms. But the Toronto Raptors have overperformed their projection more in terms of point differential, with the Indiana Pacers not far behind Boston.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers are 18 games over .500 yet have a scoring margin of less than plus-1.0. I have to imagine that such a imbalanced record vs. scoring margin is a fairly uncommon occurrence in NBA history. Is that true?”

Malcolm Butler is now a member of the Titans and that means his final game as a member of the Patriots saw him just one special teams snap.

Coach Bill Belichick’s decision to bench Butler, who had ed almost every snap up to that point, for Super Bowl LII has been discussed quite often since the Eagles’ 41-33 win in Minneapolis without any detailed reason for the call. Butler revisited the issue with Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald on Wednesday as he officially moved to the list of former Patriots and gave his best guess.

Joe Thomas retired Wednesday, but it’s apparently not the last we’ve seen of the former Browns left tackle.

Thomas appears headed to the TV studio or announcer’s booth. He had a tryout with FOX Sports two weeks ago, USA Today reports.

On Thursday night, had defend the opposing point guard.A pulled hamstring suffered at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl kept him from running the forty at his Pro Day, though Skov did throw up a superb 31 reps on the bench.First career catch came against BYU and was good for eight yards… looking forward to finally getting to know him as a teammate.Soma Vainuku Vainuku played fullback and special teams for the Trojans, managing 272 yards and four TDs on 41 career touches.

There was simply no way NE was going to be able to keep Hightower, Collins, Jones, Sheard and.It’s a long.They would never reach amounts these bills yet they are a vital part if most cities and would be better able to create safe healthy spaces to serve people statewide!The 10-game streak is the longest current one the, and ties Houston for the second-longest this season.I’ve had a hip replacement.I put a lot less pressure on myself and went and enjoyed the experience.

That’s a significant amount of youth, skill and upside on the roster; but the loss of Duclair still stings.But any case, I ‘t really follow the Red Sox anymore.You’ll know you’re receiving the best deals available on thousands of quality products.I’m the batting cage now, trying to iron out the swing a little bit.

That guess came without any post-Super Bowl conversations with Belichick, but included a recollection of when Belichick’s decision-making involving Butler had a better result.

Watkins can be the same type of complementary player in KC. The Chiefs already had a loaded offense with running back Kareem Hunt, deep threat Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. Now, they add a bona fide No. 1 receiver. Second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes assumes the starting job this season, and he’ll have one impressive cast of characters to work with.

The Phillies’ ability to make a late, somewhat surprising strike on Arrieta reflected the state of the market and some concerns over Arrieta’s 2017 numbers and long-term durability.

Teams obviously can have positive or negative cultures, but I’m skeptical the Dolphins are going to turn it around by spending $8 million per year on a decent third wideout.

The former first-round pick was particularly disappointing in 2017 as the rest of the Rams’ offense flourished, catching just 13 passes for 47 yards while rushing for 270 yards on 59 attempts. If his 2018 production is similar, the restructured contract will essentially cost the same as if the Rams had cut Austin.

Hudson was in Minneapolis for the Super Bowl last month but watched the game in his hotel room with his little sister.

Cousins is the biggest name on the quarterback market this offseason. The 49ers just shelled out $137.5 million over five years to make Jimmy Garoppolo the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. Now, Cousins will make more than the $27.5 million per year Garoppolo got.

Earlier this offseason, a report by Peter Schrager suggested that Cousins would seek a shorter deal with more guaranteed money. The idea is to get three to four years of mostly guaranteed money, so he’s able to hit the market again when the price for quarterbacks ultimately goes up again which is what ended up happening.

The Cardinals’ cap situation will make it difficult for them to be serious players in the Cousins sweepstakes. But Carson Palmer retired, and they’ve got no other quarterbacks on the roster.

St. Louis got goals from four players, two days after seven Blues scored in a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Warriors forward Kevin Durant said his ejection Tuesday was the result of official James Williams getting personal, something Durant believes is part of a trend in the NBA.

Durant told reporters after his team’s victory over the Knicks that Williams was looking to toss him “because he was still in his feelings” over Durant telling Williams in the first half he was wrong to call Durant for carrying.

Williams gave Durant a second technical foul late in the fourth quarter as KD was arguing being called for a personal foul. It was Durant’s 11th tech and fourth ejection of the season.

Jones has split six decisions in his career versus St. Louis while with the Sharks, but two of the losses came at home and San Jose failed to score in either contest. Aaron Dell lost in his only home appearance against the Blues last March 16.

St. Louis (35-26-5) is still in the mix for a postseason spot, but its hopes of playing past the regular season took a huge hit Saturday.

“I enjoyed my time in Milwaukee. There’s no regrets,” Kidd was quoted as saying. “We took an organization that was in a bad place and shined a light on it. They’re still young in running their race. Giannis is young in running his new race, as one of the best players in the world.”

Antetokounmpo is certainly one of the NBA’s best young players. Last season he earned the Most Improved Player Award as he made the All-NBA second team and the NBA All-Defensive second team. This season he is averaging 28.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, both career highs, and last week he was named an NBA All-Star for the second consecutive season.

ESPN’s Chris Haynes reported earlier Monday that Antetokounmpo was “devastated” after he learned of Kidd’s dismissal.

The Bucks (23-22) had lost four of their last five games heading into their matchup with the Suns on Monday night. Milwaukee held a one-game lead on Detroit for the Eastern Conference’s eighth playoff spot.

The 49ers on Thursday signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a record five-year contract worth $137.5 million to make him the highest paid player in the league, NFL Network reported.

Former Patriots defensive coordinators Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini also left to take head coaching jobs.

Belichick’s coaching tree is extensive and will continue to grow as long as he remains the Patriots coach. How long might that be? At 65, he is likely tied at the hip with Brady, 40, who was the NFL MVP in 2017 after leading the league with 4,577 passing yards.

Completed just in time for the 2017 football season, Mercedes-Benz Stadium seats 71,000 people but can expand to seat more than 80,000. It’s equipped with a uniquely designed retractable roof, which, if closed, hopefully won’t be leaking by the time the Super Bowl arrives in 2019.

When the venue was being built, reasonable stadium food prices were touted as revolutionary, and sure enough, Falcons concession revenue went up in the stadium’s first year. Yes, the building located in the heart of Atlanta has a Chick-fil-A inside. No, there is no word on whether it will be open on Super Bowl Sunday.

“If I had run out of bounds it would have definitely been unfortunate. But my football instincts kicked in.”

On what he was seeing as he ran down the sideline: “I actually was watching the fans. Everyone was standing up and just going crazy. To see that — my eyes were wide open. ‘I’m really about to score.’ I thought I was going out of bounds.”

On his emotions following the touchdown: “I was just so happy, especially at that moment. All the work paid off, being in the position I was in, all that. If you put in the work, it will pay off. I’m just thankful to God.”

On whether the extra attention is getting to him: “It’s a moment I’ll never forget. It’s something I’ll forever be grateful for. I won’t be sick of it for another 100 years.”

On the quarterback situation in Minnesota and whether the uncertainty affects things: “Not for me — it really doesn’t change things for me. For me, I have to get back to work and run around some routes and catch some balls, no matter who it is coming from.

The well-traveled Knapp is returning to the franchise where he was offensive coordinator from 2004 to 2006 when Michael Vick was at quarterback. Besides holding that position with the Falcons, Knapp has previously served as OC in San Francisco (2001 to 2003), Oakland (2007-2008, 2012) and Seattle (2009).

Atlanta (11-7) was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last weekend by Philadelphia.

Of course, AirbnbWatch was created by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, whose members would much rather you stay in one of their hotels. But on Super Bowl weekend, both routes are going to cost you plenty, especially now that the hometown Vikings are out of the picture.

Keenum, a backup behind Sam Bradford when the season started, has enjoyed a breakout season leading the Vikings to an NFC North title. It looked as if the Vikings were going to blow their 17-0 halftime lead Sunday against the Saints, but Keenum threw a touchdown as time expired to win.

While both teams have endured injuries, they have enough talent to reach the Super Bowl. But the Vikings are more well-rounded, and the football gods appear to be on their side. Keenum has strong odds of winning this week, and he might not even need another miracle.

Speaking of wild finishes, the Jaguars treated fans to an interesting start to their game last week, jumping out to a quick 21-0 lead over the Steelers. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey already has promised a Super Bowl victory, raising the eyebrows of Patriots players.

The Patriots have a 10-1 record all-time when facing the Jaguars (including the playoffs), their lone loss in 1999 at Jacksonville in the AFC wild-card round.

Then Newton hit Christian McCaffrey for a 56-yard touchdown in under a minute, giving the Panthers some life. The Saints had a fourth down late at the two-minute warning, and they went for it. They didn’t get it, with a Carolina player picking it off instead of simply hitting the ball away, so the Panthers lost a good chunk of yardage when they took over with no timeouts remaining.

Carolina marched all the way downfield, into the red zone, but an intentional grounding call and a sack had the team well out of range, and the Saints held on to win.

On Saturday, the Tennessee Titans just edged out the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Atlanta Falcons handled the Los Angeles Rams. The Titans will play the New England Patriots and the Falcons will play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round.

Again, no one is claiming that fights with the White House’s social media wing and players kneeling during the anthem are even close to the only reasons for the professional football model being shaken up a bit. But the fact is, that model has been shaken up a bit, and the league doesn’t sit on its hands waiting for situations like this to steady themselves.

But as Jones, and others see it, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.

They’ve been looking for their franchise quarterback since the end of the Colin Kaepernick era in San Francisco. After trading a second-round pick for a quarterback who went 5-0 with 1,560 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions, it makes sense that he’s going to receive a nice payday.

And they have to. After Kaepernick’s departure, the 49ers let Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard take over the reins, and it was genuinely ugly. They were nearing Browns levels of bad. In their 31 games before his starts, the 49ers went 4-27.

“He’s as confident as he appears to be, but he’s never comfortable,” Hinch said. “What I mean by that is, the drive and the right amount of awareness of what he has to do to be successful never wavers. Most of us would probably bask in the glory of having his bat-to-ball skills or his success rate. This guy is as hungry as he is respectful of what it takes.”

The Astros followed their leader through one more round, finishing a trifecta of knocking off the teams with the biggest payrolls in ascending order: the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers, icing on the cake for an underdog like Altuve.

Because Paul can make Harden’s life easier and preserve his energy, Harden should be able to maintain his MVP-level pace over the course of the season and through the playoffs.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is one game short of tying his personal record of five consecutive games without an interception. He also has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in December.

“It’ll be fun,” Goff said Wednesday. “I think it’ll be good to see him, good to talk to him and good to compete on the same field. But ultimately, I’m competing against their defense and he’s competing against ours and that’s kind of the way it goes.

“I’m sure it will be a fun one to watch.”

Both quarterbacks have blossomed in their second NFL seasons. Goff, whom the Rams selected No. 1 overall from California, has thrown for 3,184 yards with 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions to help the Rams (9-3) clinch their first winning season since 2003.

Cam Newton came through in the clutch Sunday afternoon to earn an important win over the Vikings. The Panthers overcame the NFC North-leading Vikings for a 31-24 win.

Newton spearheaded the final drive with a 62-yard run. The run set up a game-winning touchdown from Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, who finished the day with three touchdowns and 103 yards. Newton finished 13 for 25 with 137 yards, one interception and a touchdown.